Redway water district imposes mandatory Stage II conservation as Eel River flow falls to half normal

Mandatory Stage II water conservation took effect July 5 for customers of the Redway Community Services District after Eel River flow fell to about half its seasonal median.

The river was measured at 62.7 cubic feet per second on July 3, according to the district’s reported conservation announcement. The historical median flow for July 4 was 125.5 cubic feet per second.

Why Stage II was triggered

The district’s water-shortage plan automatically moves to Stage II when river flow reaches 50% of the seasonal median. The reported measurement was effectively at that threshold, prompting the mandatory conservation stage for district customers.

Stage II is a mandatory action, rather than a voluntary request to reduce water use. The district has not detailed the individual customer restrictions or enforcement provisions in the information released about the declaration, so customers should look to the district for the specific rules that apply to their homes or businesses.

The action affects customers served by the Redway Community Services District while the community’s planned additional storage remains unavailable. That means the district has entered a required conservation stage before its new water tank is operating.

New tank remains under construction

The district said the new water tank at the Rusk Lane site was not yet online when Stage II took effect. Construction was underway, with completion expected in September 2026.

The tank’s expected completion provides a next milestone for the district, but September is not a final guarantee that the facility will be available by a particular day. Until the tank is online, the district’s new storage capacity cannot support its water system.

For residents, workers and local businesses connected to the district, the immediate change is the shift to mandatory conservation. The timing also places that requirement alongside the continued construction of the Rusk Lane tank, which is intended to expand storage but is not yet serving customers.

The district’s action is tied to the measured river flow and the threshold in its shortage plan. The available announcement does not attribute the low flow to a particular cause. It establishes the operational trigger: a July 3 reading of 62.7 cubic feet per second compared with a July 4 historical median of 125.5 cubic feet per second.